Tap Handle #692: Iron City - I.C. Light Pittsburgh Pirates

Tap size:  10.5"
Rarity:  less than 50 seen
Mounting:  internal 3/8" nut

I don't normally acquire and profile sports taps, but this Iron City Light Pirate tap is fantastic and I couldn't pass it up for a very affordable price. Since Iron City Brewing was based in Pittsburgh, it only makes sense that they would create a few taps representing the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team, and this is my favorite of all the taps they have produced to date. The pirate head at the top, sporting a bandanna, eye patch, gold earring, and two bats behind it representing crossbones, is modeled after the team's alternate logo (see image at upper right). The pirate head sits on top of a round black base with the name of the beer on it; that base rests on a baseball with the team's primary logo on it, and in turn the baseball is on top of a bat. The beer name appears once again, this time on the shaft of the bat. Although the tap is a little on the small side, the detail is still very impressive. The price of this tap fluctuates wildly on the secondary market, with prices occasionally hitting well over $100.

For more about Iron City Brewing, see this post.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. The Pirates play their home games at PNC Park; the team previously played at Forbes Field and Three Rivers Stadium. Founded on October 15, 1881 as Allegheny, the franchise has won five World Series championships. The Pirates are also often referred to as the "Bucs" or the "Buccos" (derived from buccaneer, a synonym for pirate).

The franchise was competitive from its early years, winning three NL titles from 1901 to 1903, playing in the inaugural World Series in 1903 and winning their first World Series in 1909 behind Honus Wagner. The Pirates have had many ups and downs during their long history, most famously winning the 1960 World Series against the New York Yankees on a game-winning walk-off home run by Bill Mazeroski, the only time that Game 7 of the World Series has ever ended with a home run. They also won the 1971 World Series, led by the talent of Roberto Clemente, and the 1979 World Series under the slogan "We Are Family", led by "Pops" Willie Stargell.

After a run of regular-season success in the early 1990s (winning three straight East Division titles), the Pirates struggled mightily over the following 20 years, with 20 consecutive losing seasons from 1993 to 2012—the longest such streak in North American professional sports history. Despite having some notable fans including former part-owner Bing Crosby, Michael Keaton, Regis Philbin and Kermit The Frog, the Pirates are considered by most to be a distant third in Pittsburgh behind the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pittsburgh Penguins in popularity among Pittsburgh's three major professional sports teams.

Pittsburgh Pirate information and logo courtesy of Wikipedia.

Click through to read more about I.C. Light and to see more photos of this implacable tap...

Iron City Light, or I.C. Light as it is more popularly known by, is a premium light beer that embodies all things black and gold. One of the healthiest beers around, IC Light is low on calories and carbs, but full on flavor with a super smooth, light malt taste that is crisply refreshing. It has spawned two other varieties, I.C. Light Mango and I.C. Light Berry.

Ratebeer weighted average:  1.66 out of 5

Beer Advocate:  2.51 out of 5 (poor)